The USA has indulged itself in decades of lavish social spending. Not as much as in Europe, but it remains the largest single output of funds when compared to all other catagories. It has helped to bring the country to the brink of fiscal disaster. the debt is soaring, the treasury is empty, and the country proceeds by spending on credit alone. Austerity should be the order of the day. Today, no cow should be deemed sacred; health care, college tuition, support for the arts, food stamps, and even pension benefits should be undergoing drastic cuts. Currently, smaller economies are falling like dominoes. Greece is sinking into the sea, Spain is on life support, the so-called Irish Miracle is a mirage. The people of America are beginning to say something that just a generation ago -- that the American Dream was dying or is already dead.

As a child I was taught about the American melting pot, that the country could absorb and sustainimmigrants from all over the world and they would melt into the culture and become good citizens. But, the southern border became porous and literally millions crossed it illegally until the pot that formerly had no bottom overflowed. In Europe, the belief that it could absorb an endless tide of Muslim immigrants from what were its former colonies and still preserve its culture and way of life is being reappraised. It had started as a program to relieve the post WW2 labor shortage and took on a life of its own, permanently altering the face of the continent. Now, Muslim suburbs ring nearly every city and in some countries there will be Muslim majorities before the 22nd century.

No one consulted the native population of Europe, but after many years of passivity, the natives are growing restless and are pushing back. Denmark and France have passed draconian restrictions. The Swiss, who can barely tolerate one another have decided to keep free of unsightly minarets. Britain and Germany have declared what was formerly almost a religion, multiculturalism, to be a failure. Yet, with all of these European examples, America is skipping its merry way down the same road experienced by Europe. It certainly lends credence to the old saw, "They are also blind who will not see."